Berkeley Geochronology Center

MRI: TRACK 1: ACQUISITION OF A THERMAL IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETER FOR U-DAUGHTER ANALYSES -THIS AWARD SUPPORTS ACQUISITION BY THE BERKELEY GEOCHRONOLOGY CENTER (BGC) OF A THERMAL IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETER (TIMS). THE INSTRUMENT WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THE AGES OF ROCKS AND MINERALS, AND IN TURN, TO DATE KEY EVENTS AND FIRST-ORDER PROCESSES THAT HAVE SHAPED TODAY'S EARTH. URANIUM-LEAD AND URANIUM-SERIES DATING, BOTH BASED ON THE DECAY OF NATURALLY OCCURRING URANIUM IN DIVERSE GEOLOGICAL MATERIALS, WILL BE THE MAIN TECHNIQUES USED. TOGETHER, THEY CAN PROVIDE AGES FOR ROCKS AND MINERALS FORMED AS RECENTLY AS THE LAST FEW YEARS OR AS OLD AS THE EARTH AND OUR SOLAR SYSTEM. WHEN UNDERSTOOD IN THEIR GEOLOGIC CONTEXT, SUCH RADIOISOTOPIC AGES ALLOW SCIENTISTS TO BUILD A TIMELINE FOR EARTH'S PAST INCLUDING, FOR EXAMPLE, THE VOLCANIC AND TECTONIC ACTIVITY THAT FORMED THE CONTINENTS AND OCEANS, AND THE HISTORY OF LIFE ON EARTH. SUCH KNOWLEDGE IS FUNDAMENTAL TO BASIC EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH, GUIDES EXPLORATION FOR NATURAL RESOURCES, AND PROVIDES THE MEANS TO ASSESS HAZARDS POSED BY EARTHQUAKES AND ACTIVE VOLCANOES. RESEARCH AT BGC INVOLVES COLLABORATORS FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND PROVIDES HANDS-ON TRAINING FOR UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS AND OTHER EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS. THEIR EXPERTISE IN ANALYZING MINUTE QUANTITIES OF URANIUM AND RELATED ELEMENTS USING THE NEW MASS SPECTROMETER WILL ENHANCE THE NATIONAL CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY NOT ONLY IN EARTH SCIENCES BUT ALSO NUCLEAR ENERGY AND FORENSICS. THE NEW TIMS SUPPORTED BY THIS AWARD WILL REPLACE AN EXISTING TIMS INSTRUMENT, NOW NEARLY THREE DECADES OLD, WHICH IS LIMITED BY OBSOLETE DETECTOR TECHNOLOGY AND HAS BECOME UNRELIABLE DUE TO AGING HARDWARE AND LEGACY SOFTWARE SYSTEMS. THE NEW TIMS INSTRUMENT WILL PROVIDE MUCH IMPROVED OPERATIONAL RELIABILITY AND ITS ENHANCED ION BEAM STABILITY, STATE-OF-THE-ART ION DETECTION SYSTEMS, AND MODERN DATA ACQUISITION PLATFORMS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE PRECISION, ACCURACY AND THROUGHPUT. THESE IMPROVEMENTS WILL ENABLE BGC SCIENTISTS TO CONTINUE DELIVERING HIGH-RESOLUTION GEOCHRONOLOGICAL DATA CRITICAL FOR ADDRESSING A WIDE RANGE OF FUNDAMENTAL EARTH SCIENCE PROBLEMS INCLUDING: CHRONOLOGIES OF BIOTIC EVOLUTION AND EXTINCTION EVENTS; THE TIMING AND DURATION OF MAGMATIC ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH MAJOR BIOTIC CRISES; CALIBRATION OF STRATIGRAPHIC RECORDS OF PAST ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SUCH AS EARTH'S ICEHOUSE EPISODES; AND INTERCALIBRATION WITH OTHER CHRONOMETERS (E.G., 40AR/39AR, COSMOGENIC NUCLIDES). IN ADDITION TO ANALYTICAL APPLICATIONS, THE NEW TIMS WILL SERVE AS A PLATFORM FOR METHODOLOGICAL INNOVATION SUCH AS DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL SAMPLE PREPARATION TECHNIQUES AND EXPANDED APPLICATIONS OF U-DAUGHTER SYSTEMS TO UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS. IT WILL ALSO SUPPORT A BROAD USER BASE COMPRISING UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS, POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS, AND VISITING COLLABORATORS, WHILE CONTRIBUTING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TECHNICAL TRAINING AND MENTORING IN RADIOGENIC ISOTOPE GEOCHEMISTRY. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A TRANSPARENT-MIDDLE-LAYER COMPUTATIONAL AND DATA MANAGEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR SYNOPTIC APPLICATIONS OF COSMOGENIC-NUCLIDE GEOCHEMISTRY

MRI-R2: DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-FLUX DEUTERON-DEUTERON FUSION NEUTRON SOURCE FOR 40AR/39AR GEOCHRONOLOGY

IMPROVING THE 40AR/39AR GEOCHRONOMETER

ACQUISITION OF A MULTICOLLECTOR MASS SPECTROMETER FOR 40AR/39AR GEOCHRONOLOGY

ACQUISITION OF A SINGLE-COLLECTOR, MAGNETIC-SECTOR ICP-MS FOR RESEARCH IN U-SERIES AND (U-TH)/HE CHRONOMETRY AT THE BERKELEY GEOCHRONOLOGY CENTER

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FLOOD VOLCANISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS--MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATION OF THE DECCAN TRAPS AND EVENTS AT THE CRETACEOUS-P

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LHASA BLOCK TOP TO BOTTOM--LITHOSPHERIC EVOLUTION OF ASIA'S LEADING EDGE

TARGETED BASIC RESEARCH TO ENABLE ANTARCTIC SCIENCE APPLICATIONS OF COSMOGENIC-NUCLIDE GEOCHEMISTRY -THIS PROJECT WILL CONDUCT BASIC RESEARCH INTO GEOLOGICAL DATING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE USEFUL FOR DETERMINING THE AGE OF GLACIAL DEPOSITS IN POLAR REGIONS, ANTARCTICA IN PARTICULAR. THESE TECHNIQUES ARE NECESSARY FOR DETERMINING HOW LARGE THE POLAR ICE SHEETS WERE IN THE GEOLOGIC PAST, INCLUDING DURING PAST PERIODS OF WARM CLIMATE THAT LIKELY RESEMBLE PRESENT AND NEAR-FUTURE CONDITIONS. THUS, THEY REPRESENT AN IMPORTANT TECHNICAL CAPABILITY NEEDED FOR ESTIMATING THE RESPONSE OF POLAR ICE SHEETS TO CLIMATE WARMING. BECAUSE CHANGES IN THE SIZE OF POLAR ICE SHEETS ARE THE LARGEST POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO FUTURE GLOBAL SEA-LEVEL CHANGE, THIS CAPABILITY IS ALSO RELEVANT TO UNDERSTANDING LIKELY SEA-LEVEL IMPACTS OF FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE. THE RESEARCH IN THIS PROJECT COMPRISES SEVERAL OBSERVATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES TO IMPROVING THE SPEED, EFFICIENCY, COST, AND ACCURACY OF THESE TECHNIQUES, AS WELL AS A SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH PROGRAM AIMED AT MAKING THE RESULTING CAPABILITIES MORE BROADLY AVAILABLE TO OTHER RESEARCHERS. THE PROJECT SUPPORTS A POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR AND CONTRIBUTES TO HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN POLAR AND CLIMATE SCIENCE. THE PROJECT FOCUSES ON SEVERAL AREAS OF COSMOGENIC-NUCLIDE GEOCHEMISTRY, WHICH IS A GEOCHEMICAL DATING METHOD THAT RELIES ON THE PRODUCTION AND DECAY OF COSMIC-RAY-PRODUCED RADIONUCLIDES IN SURFACE ROCKS. MEASUREMENTS OF THESE NUCLIDES CAN BE USED TO QUANTIFY THE DURATION OF SURFACE EXPOSURE AND ICE COVER AT LOCATIONS IN ANTARCTICA THAT ARE COVERED AND UNCOVERED BY CHANGES IN THE SIZE OF THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHEETS, THUS PROVIDING A MEANS OF RECONSTRUCTING PAST ICE-SHEET CHANGE. THE FIRST PROPOSED SET OF EXPERIMENTS ARE AIMED AT IMPLEMENTING A 'VIRTUAL MINERAL SEPARATION' APPROACH TO COSMOGENIC NOBLE GAS ANALYSIS THAT MAY ALLOW MEASUREMENT OF NUCLIDE CONCENTRATIONS IN CERTAIN MINERALS WITHOUT PHYSICALLY SEPARATING THE MINERALS FROM THE HOST ROCK. IF FEASIBLE, THIS WOULD REALIZE SIGNIFICANT SPEED AND COST IMPROVEMENTS FOR THIS TYPE OF ANALYSIS. A SECOND SET OF EXPERIMENTS WILL FOCUS ON MEANS OF IDENTIFYING AND QUANTIFYING NON-COSMOGENIC BACKGROUND INVENTORIES OF SOME RELEVANT NUCLIDES, WHICH IS INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE MEASUREMENT SENSITIVITY AND PRECISION FOR COSMIC-RAY-PRODUCED INVENTORIES OF THESE NUCLIDES. A THIRD FOCUS AREA AIMS TO IMPROVE CAPABILITIES TO MEASURE MULTIPLE COSMIC-RAY-PRODUCED NUCLIDES IN THE SAME SAMPLE, WHICH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO IMPROVE THE ACCURACY OF DATING METHODS BASED ON THESE NUCLIDES AND TO EXPAND THE SITUATIONS IN WHICH THESE METHODS CAN BE APPLIED. IF SUCCESSFUL, THESE EXPERIMENTS ARE LIKELY TO IMPROVE A NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS OF COSMOGENIC-NUCLIDE GEOCHEMISTRY RELEVANT TO ANTARCTIC RESEARCH, INCLUDING SUBGLACIAL BEDROCK EXPOSURE DATING, DATING OF MULTIMILLION-YEAR-OLD GLACIAL DEPOSITS, AND SURFACE-PROCESS STUDIES USEFUL IN UNDERSTANDING LANDFORM EVOLUTION AND ECOSYSTEM DYNAMICS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA EXHUMATION AND LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT INVESTIGATED BY LOW-TEMPERATURE DETRITAL THERMOCHRONOMETRY

PRODUCTION AND DIFFUSION OF COSMOGENIC NOBLE GASES: USING OPEN-SYSTEM BEHAVIOR TO STUDY SURFACE PROCESSES

STABLE NEON AND ARGON ISOTOPE CONSTRAINTS ON PAST ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURES ON MARS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE END GUADALUPIAN (CA 260 MA) BIOTIC CRISIS: RESEARCH INTO TIMING, POTENTIAL CAUSES, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROXIES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM AND DEGLACIATION CHRONOLOGY FOR THE FOUNDATION ICE STREAM AND SOUTHEASTERN WEDDELL SEA EMBAYMENT

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TERRESTRIAL PALEOENVIRONMENTAL RECORD THROUGH THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC TRANSITION OF TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO

SYNOPTIC EVALUATION OF LONG-TERM ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET MODEL SIMULATIONS USING A CONTINENT-WIDE DATABASE OF COSMOGENTIC-NUCLIDE MEASUREMENTS

EXPERIMENTAL DETERMINATION OF ARGON DIFFUSION KINETICS AND MECHANISMS IN PLAGIOCLASE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: QUANTIFYING TEMPORAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TECTONIC FORCING AND LANDSCAPE RESPONSES IN THE CENTRAL ANDEAN PRECORDILLERA, ARGENTINA

OPP-PRF: HIGH-RESOLUTION NESTED ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET MODELING TO RECONCILE MARINE AND TERRESTRIAL GEOLOGIC DATA

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF 40AR/39AR DATING FOR ARCHAEOMETRIC RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: P2C2--WESTERN UNITED STATES HYDROCLIMATE DURING THE LAST INTERGLACIAL: DEVELOPING PROXY RECORDS AND USING MODEL INTERCOMPARISON TO GLIMPSE THE FUTURE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TERRESTRIAL EXPOSURE-AGE CONSTRAINTS ON THE LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM EXTENT OF THE ANTARCTIC ICE SHEET IN THE WESTERN ROSS SEA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNDERSTANDING THE LATE PALEOZOIC ICEHOUSE FROM A SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE (PARANA? BASIN, BRAZIL) PALEO-PERSPECTIVE

IMPROVED DATING OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS WITH COORDINATED STABLE ISOTOPE STUDIES

CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF 40AR/39AR DATING FOR ARCHAEOMETRIC RESEARCH

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: ASSEMBLING THE FOUNDATION OF MODERN MAMMAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE IN THE FIRST 7 MILLION YEARS AFTER THE K/PG MASS EXTINCTION -MAMMALS ARE ECOLOGICALLY DOMINANT IN ECOSYSTEMS TODAY. THEIR RISE TO PROMINENCE AFTER THE MASS EXTINCTION (K/PG) THAT KILLED OFF THE DINOSAURS 66 MILLION YEARS AGO IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF EVOLUTIONARY RADIATION. STUDY OF SUCH EVENTS NOT ONLY IMPACTS EVOLUTIONARY THEORY BUT ALSO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF LOSS AND ORIGINATION OF BIODIVERSITY AND THE FRAGILITY, COLLAPSE, ASSEMBLY, AND MAINTENANCE OF TODAY?S ECOSYSTEMS. DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY DYNAMICS OF THIS EVENT ARE LACKING. A DIVERSE TEAM OF GEOLOGISTS AND PALEONTOLOGISTS WILL BUILD A STUDY SYSTEM IN EASTERN MONTANA THAT SPANS THE FIRST 7 MILLION YEARS AFTER THE K/PG MASS EXTINCTION TO ADDRESS TWO CENTRAL QUESTIONS: 1) HOW DID MAMMALS RISE TO ECOLOGICAL PROMINENCE IN LOCAL ECOSYSTEMS IN DEEP TIME?, AND 2) HOW DID FACTORS, LIKE CLIMATE AND VEGETATION, SHAPE THIS TRAJECTORY? THE TEAM WILL GENERATE AND INTEGRATE CRITICAL RECORDS OF FOSSIL MAMMALS AND CLIMATE PROXIES IN A HIGHLY RESOLVED TEMPORAL FRAMEWORK ACROSS EASTERN MONTANA. THIS WILL PROVIDE A DETAILED EARTH SYSTEM VIEW OF THE CONTINENTAL ECOSYSTEM ACROSS THE K/PG AND THROUGH MOST OF THE PALEOCENE (THE FIRST ~7 MILLION YEARS) THAT WILL ELUCIDATE LONG-TERM CONNECTIONS BETWEEN MAMMALIAN EVOLUTION, ECOLOGY, AND CLIMATE. ANALYSES WILL ALSO CLARIFY HOW PERTURBATIONS TO THESE SYSTEMS LEAD TO LARGE-SCALE ECOSYSTEM CHANGE AND MODERATE BIOTIC RECOVERY AND RADIATION. THIS WORK WILL HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR GEOCHRONOLOGY, PALEOCLIMATOLOGY, PALEONTOLOGY, ECOLOGY, AND EVOLUTION. THE TEAM WILL ENGAGE A WIDER AND MORE DIVERSE AUDIENCE THROUGH (1) THE MULTI-YEAR OUTREACH INITIATIVE THE DISCOVERIES IN GEOSCIENCES (DIG) FIELD SCHOOL, WHICH CONNECTS K-12 TEACHERS AND THEIR CLASSROOMS WITH REAL EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH VIA FIELDWORK AND CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES; (2) BROADENING THE PARTICIPATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS IN RESEARCH BY SUPPORTING A PI AND A GRADUATE STUDENT WHO ARE EARLY-CAREER FEMALE SCIENTISTS AND A PI FROM AN UNDERREPRESENTED GROUP, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING FULL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 8 TEACHERS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS TO ATTEND DIG; AND (3) BUILDING STEM TALENT THROUGH THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF 4 GRADUATE STUDENTS AND AT LEAST 6 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WHO WILL BE INTRODUCED TO THE EARTH SCIENCES THROUGH FIELD AND LAB WORK. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEGLACIAL AND HOLOCENE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN CALIFORNIA'S HEADWATERS: INSIGHTS FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION SEDIMENTARY RECORDS FROM MONO LAKE

DEVELOPING 230TH/U DATING OF CORAL ARTIFACTS FOR HIGH-PRECISION CULTURAL CHRONOLOGIES IN EASTERN POLYNESIA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: TESTING THE SHOCK REMANENT MAGNETIZATION HYPOTHESIS IN THE SLATE ISLAND IMPACT STRUCTURE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RECONSTRUCTIONS OF SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN CLIMATE VARIABILITY USING CONTEMPORANEOUS AND CO-LOCATED CORALS AND SPELEOTHEMS -HISTORICAL AND ANCIENT CLIMATE DATA FROM PALEOCLIMATE PROXY RECORDS CAN PROVIDE THE LONG-TERM CLIMATE CONTEXT NECESSARY TO SUPPORT COASTAL CARIBBEAN COMMUNITIES IN PREPARING FOR, ADAPTING TO, AND/OR MITIGATING THE NUMEROUS IMPACTS OF ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE CHANGE. THIS PROJECT WILL STUDY CORAL AND SPELEOTHEM CARBONATES FROM REEF ECOSYSTEMS AND CAVE ENVIRONMENTS ON THE ISLAND OF CURA?AO IN THE ARID SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN. GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES AND DATING OF THESE CARBONATES WILL BE USED TO GENERATE RECORDS OF LOCAL TEMPERATURE AND ARIDITY THAT SPAN THE INTERVAL AS EARTH WARMED FROM THE LAST GLACIAL MAXIMUM (~20 THOUSAND YEARS AGO) TO PRESENT. COUPLING THESE GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES WITH MONITORING OF MODERN REEF AND CAVE ENVIRONMENTS AND NUMERICAL MODELING WILL HELP DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH CARIBBEAN SEA CLIMATES HAVE VARIED IN THE PAST AND THE ROLE THAT THEY PLAY IN MEDIATING GLOBAL CLIMATE ON SEASONAL TO GLACIAL-INTERGLACIAL TIMESCALES. THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP AND APPLY INTEGRATED APPROACHES TO UNDERSTAND COEVAL ARCHIVES OF TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE CLIMATE VARIABILITY AT A SINGLE, RELATIVELY UNDERSTUDIED LOCATION. BROADER IMPACTS OF THIS RESEARCH INCLUDE THE DISSEMINATION OF MAJOR FINDINGS THROUGH COMMUNITY-INFLUENCED GEOSCIENCE CURRICULA DEVELOPMENT AND TIERED MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS FROM THE K-12 THROUGH POSTDOCTORAL LEVELS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE RESEARCH WILL SUPPORT RESEARCH EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNIVERSITY OF CURA?AO STUDENTS THROUGH A TARGETED CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CARIBBEAN RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY (CARMABI) FOUNDATION, IN WHICH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WILL WORK ON THE GEORGIA TECH AND VANDERBILT CAMPUSES WHERE THEY WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO A DIVERSE, MULTI-INSTITUTIONAL TEAM OF PIS, POSTDOCS, AND GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA IS PROJECTED TO EXTEND SEASONAL WARM PERIODS, INCREASE THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS, AND INCREASE PERIODS OF PROLONGED DROUGHT. PALEOCLIMATE RECORDS FROM SPELEOTHEM AND CORAL CARBONATES FROM THE WET TROPICAL NORTHERN AND WESTERN CARIBBEAN HAVE PROVIDED CONTEXT FOR THESE PROJECTIONS BY ILLUSTRATING THE RELEVANT CLIMATE DRIVERS AND TELECONNECTIONS OVER THE PAST SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS. HOWEVER, EQUALLY EXTENSIVE AND INFORMATIVE RECORDS ARE NOTABLY ABSENT FROM THE ARID SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP PRECISELY DATED, CO-LOCATED CORAL AND SPELEOTHEM PROXY TEMPERATURE AND HYDROCLIMATE RECORDS FROM CURA?AO, SYNTHESIZE THESE RECORDS WITH OTHER REGIONAL AND GLOBAL PROXIES, AND MAKE TRANSFORMATIVE PROGRESS IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CARBONATE MINERALS IN TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE ECOSYSTEMS RECORD PAST ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN THIS REGION. TRACE ELEMENT-TO-CALCIUM RATIOS (I.E. SR/CA, MG/CA, BA/CA, ETC.) AND TRADITIONAL STABLE ISOTOPES (?18O, ?13C, ETC.) FROM ACTIVELY-PRECIPITATING STALAGMITES, DRIP WATERS, MODERN CORAL SKELETONS, AND SEAWATER WILL BE FURTHER INTEGRATED WITH PROXY SYSTEM MODELS AND INSTRUMENTAL DATA TO FINGERPRINT THE DOMINANT DRIVERS OF TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE CLIMATE ON SEASONAL TO DECADAL TIMESCALES. THIS UNDERSTANDING WILL BE APPLIED TO JOINTLY INTERPRET SPELEOTHEM AND CORAL PROXY RECORDS OF HYDROCLIMATE AND SST AND DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE PICTURE OF SEASONAL TO MILLENNIAL CLIMATE EVOLUTION SINCE THE LAST DEGLACIATION. THIS WORK INCLUDES THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMAL U-TH DATING TECHNIQUES TO JOINTLY ANALYZE SPELEOTHEM AND CORAL CARBONATES, ACTIVE SEAWATER AND CAVE MONITORING, AND THE DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF NOVEL GEOCHEMICAL PROXIES, INCLUDING NEW METHODS FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE CALCIUM ISOTOPE QUANTITATIVE PRECIPITATION PROXY IN SPELEOTHEMS VIA COLLISION CELL MULTI-COLLECTOR ICP-MS. THIS AWARD IS CO-FUNDED BY THE DIVISION OF EARTH SCIENCES AND DIVISION OF ATMOSPHERIC AND GEOSPACE SCIENCES BY WAY OF THE PALEO PERSPECTIVES ON PRESENT AND PROJECTED CLIMATE PROGRAM, AS WELL AS THE DIVISION OF EARTH SCIENCES FUNDS FOR SUPPORT OF PROJECTS THAT INCREASE RESEARCH CAPABILITIES, CAPACITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE AT A WIDE VARIETY OF INSTITUTION TYPES, AS OUTLINED IN THE GEO EMBRACE DCL. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.

ACQUISITION OF A NOBLE GAS ANALYSIS FACILITY FOR SURFACE PROCESS STUDIES AT THE BERKELEY GEOCHRONOLOGY CENTER

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: THE AGE OF GRAND CANYON: APPLYING NEW TESTS TO RESOLVE THE 150-YEAR-OLD DEBATE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SITE SURVEY FOR SUBGLACIAL BEDROCK EXPOSURE DATING AT THE MARGIN OF THE WILKES BASIN IN NORTHERN VICTORIA LAND

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INDIA AT THE CROSSROADS--BIOTIC CHANGE IN CONTINENTAL VERTEBRATES ACROSS THE CRETACEOUS-PALEOGENE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION AND SURFACE AGES IN TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EPISODIC CONSTRUCTION OF MAGMA CHAMBERS: MULTIDISCIPLINARY INVESTIGATIONS AT A FIELD LABORATORY (TUOLUMNE INTRUSION, SIERRA N

ACQUISITION OF BACKUP COMPONENTS FOR A THERMAL IONIZATION MASS SPECTROMETER USED FOR U-DAUGHTER GEOCHRONOMETRY

ANTARCTIC PENINSULA EXHUMATION AND LANDSCAPE DEVELOPMENT INVESTIGATED BY LOW-TEMPERATURE DETRITAL THERMOCHRONOMETRY

IPG: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: A HIGH-RESOLUTION ANALYSIS OF UNIQUE PALEOENVIRONMENTAL DATA FROM KEY HOMININ SITES IN EAST AFRICA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: POTENTIAL DIRECT GEOLOGIC CONSTRAINT OF ICE SHEET THICKNESS IN THE CENTRAL TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS DURING THE PLIOCENE WARM

IPG: COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESEARCH ON EAST AFRICAN CATARRHINE AND HOMINOID EVOLUTION

ESTIMATING GEOLOGIC SLIP RATES ON THE SOUTHERN SAN ANDREAS FAULT, CALIFORNIA: U-SERIES AND 10BEDATING

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: UNCOVERING THE ADAPTIVE ORIGINS OF FOSSIL APES THROUGH THE APPLICATION OF A TRANSDISCIPLINARY APPROACH -THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF HUMANS AND THEIR CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES IS ROOTED IN FOSSIL PRIMATE FORMS THAT REQUIRE FURTHER STUDY. TO BREACH THIS KNOWLEDGE GAP, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO UNCOVER THE ADAPTIVE ORIGINS OF FOSSIL APES BY SURVEYING, EXCAVATING AND ANALYZING A MIDDLE MIOCENE UNDERSTUDIED SITE. THIS PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER AN INTERNATIONAL, INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM THAT WILL UTILIZE THE LATEST METHODS IN COLLECTING AND ANALYZING PALEONTOLOGICAL, PALEOECOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL DATA. THE PROJECT INCREASES PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IN SCIENCE THROUGH OUTREACH ACTIVITIES AT SCHOOLS IN THE U.S. AND NEAR THE STUDY SITE. THE PROJECT ALSO EXPANDS RESEARCH PARTICIPATION THROUGH TRAINING AND MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES IN PALEOANTHROPOLOGY AND GEOLOGY. TO DATE, LARGE APE FOSSILS DATED TO THE MIDDLE AND LATE MIOCENE ARE RARE AND MORE ARE NEEDED TO ADEQUATELY INFER THE TYPE OF ADAPTATIONS THAT DIRECTLY PRECEDED THE ONES FOUND AMONG EARLY HOMO SPECIES. THIS PROJECT EXPANDS OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MIDDLE MIOCENE PRIMATE FOSSIL RECORD BY CONDUCTING A COMPREHENSIVE PALEONTOLOGICAL FIELD STUDY ON A SITE THAT HAS RECENTLY YIELDED APE-LIKE FOSSILS. THE PROJECT HAS FOUR MAIN AIMS: 1) COLLECTING FOSSIL PRIMATE, AND OTHER FAUNA SPECIMENS VIA THOROUGH SURFACE SURVEY, COLLECTION, AND EXCAVATION; (2) ESTABLISHING THE PHYLOGENETIC POSITION OF FOSSIL PRIMATE FORMS FOUND AT THE SITE; 3) ESTABLISHING A PRECISE GEOCHRONOLOGY FOR THE SEQUENCE THROUGH LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY, MAGNETOSTRATIGRAPHY, TEPHROSTRATIGRAPHY AND RADIOMETRIC DATING OF VOLCANIC STRATA; 4) RECONSTRUCTING THE PALEOENVIRONMENT AND PALEOECOLOGY OF MIOCENE APES THROUGH STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS, PALEOPEDOLOGY, AND PALEOBOTANY; AND 5) ANALYZING THE ADAPTATIONS (E.G., DIET), COMMUNITY STRUCTURE, AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC AFFINITIES OF THE ASSOCIATED MAMMALIAN FAUNA. RESULTS FROM THIS STUDY INFORM THE ADAPTIVE ORIGINS OF FOSSIL PRIMATES AND PROVIDE CRITICAL CONTEXT FOR INTERPRETING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL SHIFTS THAT ACCOMPANIED THE ORIGINS OF THE AFRICAN APES AND HUMANS. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LITTLE DEVILS POSTPILE REVISITED: INTERCALIBRATION OF THERMOCHRONOMETER KINETICS IN A CONTACT AUREOLE

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: FILLING THE TRIASSIC GEOCHRONOLOGIC GAP: A CONTINUOUS CORED RECORD OF CONTINENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN WESTERN NORTH AMERI

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: CONTROLS ON HE DIFFUSION FROM MINERALS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: PLIOCENE GEOLOGY, GEOCHRONOLOGY, AND PALEONTOLOGY OF WORANSO-MILLE, ETHIOPIA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: INVESTIGATING SLIP DISTRIBUTION OVER MULTIPLE TIMESCALES ACROSS THE CENTRAL WALKER LANE: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF AN

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RECONSTRUCTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT OF EARLY HOMININS -THE FOSSIL RECORD HAS PROVIDED NUMEROUS INSIGHTS ABOUT EARLY HOMININ LINEAGE. THROUGH FIELD RESEARCH AND LABORATORY ANALYSES THIS STUDY RECONSTRUCTS THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH APE AND HOMININ LINEAGES DIVERGED. TO DEVELOP A REFINED PERSPECTIVE OF THE LANDSCAPES AND ENVIRONMENTS THAT LED UP TO AND FOLLOWED THIS DIVERGENCE, THIS STUDY COLLECTS FOSSIL VERTEBRATES, ESTABLISHES A COMPLETE CHRONOLOGY, ANALYZES PALEO-ENVIRONMENTAL PROXIES, AS WELL AS SPATIAL INFORMATION. AI-GENERATED ALGORITHMS ARE USED TO ANALYZE SPATIAL DATA, AND BIOTECHNOLOGY METHODS ARE APPLIED IN THE ANALYSES OF STABLE ISOTOPES. THE STUDY?S APPROACH SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTES TO CURRENT SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE OF APE AND HOMININ EVOLUTION, PROVIDES FIELD AND LABORATORY TRAINING FOR STUDENTS, AND DEVELOPS OUTREACH ACTIVITIES THAT ENHANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION. TO RECONSTRUCT THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE APE AND HOMININ LINEAGES DIVERGED, THIS STUDY CONDUCTS SYSTEMATIC ANALYSES OF FAUNAL COLLECTIONS, PHYTOLITH, POLLEN, AND N-ALKANE. THE STUDY ANALYZES AND INTERPRETS SEDIMENTARY ROCK FORMATIONS AND INTEGRATES SPATIAL INFORMATION USING AI GENERATED ALGORITHMS. THE STUDY ALSO DEVELOPS A DETAILED CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY THAT REFINES CURRENT KNOWLEDGE. FOSSIL HERBIVORE DENTITION IS EXAMINED THROUGH MICROWEAR AND OTHER BIOTECHNOLOGY METHODS (STABLE ISOTOPES). TOGETHER THESE APPROACHES PROVIDE A DETAILED ENVIRONMENTAL RECONSTRUCTION THAT ADVANCES UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELECTIVE FORCES THAT LED TO THE EMERGENCE OF THE HOMININ LINEAGE. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE NOT PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: P2C2--CONTINENTAL RESPONSE TO ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE POST 70 KA: AN INTEGRATED ISOTOPIC AND TRACE ELEMENT STUDY OF SIERRA NEVA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: LONG TERM SUBLIMATION/PRESERVATION OF TWO SEPARATE, BURIED GLACIER ICE MASSES, ONG VALLEY, SOUTHERN TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPMENT OF 40AR/39AR INTERCALIBRATION PIPETTES

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RESOLVING AMBIGUOUS EXPOSURE-AGE CHRONOLOGIES OF ANTARCTIC DEGLACIATION WITH MEASUREMENTS OF IN-SITU-PRODUCED COSMOGENIC CARB

EXTENDING THE RECORD OF ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION INTO THE PLIOCENE WITH NEON-21 MEASUREMENTS

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: P2C2--SYNCHRONIZING THE NORTH AMERICAN VARVE CHRONOLOGY AND THE GREENLAND ICE CORE RECORD USING METEORIC 10BE FLUX

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: EAST ANTARCTIC GLACIAL LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION (EAGLE): A STUDY USING COMBINED THERMOCHRONOLOGY, GEOCHRONOLOGY AND PROVENANCE ANA

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: DEVELOPMENT OF HEMATITE (U-TH)/HE CHRONOLOGY TO DIRECTLY DATE FAULT SLIP AND ANCIENT SEISMICITY

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: RECONSTRUCTING TEMPERATURES DURING THE MID-PLIOCENE WARM PERIOD IN THE MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS WITH COSMOGENIC NOBLE GASES